Religious buildings are amongst the most common preserved ruins in the world. Conceptually, they stand as an interesting contrast between human attention, abandon and renewed attention. They represent an intentional freezing of a certain moment in the process of decay in this kind of structures, but also they became as icon or a landmark because of this precise decaying state, thanks to our fascination for the ruin as an object.
Many factors can lead to the abandonment of these buildings. The Jedbugh Abbey in Scotland suffered continuous pillaging and slighting from the 14th through the 16th century, which slowly led to its abandonment and decay until early 20th century, when it was handed over to the care of Historic Scotland. The Convento do Carmo suffered great damage in the 1755 Lison earthquake, leading to the collapse of most of its vaulting, and the building being turned into a museum a century after. The old town of Belchite was the scenario of one of the bloodiest battles in the spanish civil war, and was completely destroyed. The winning side chose to rebuild the town in a plot of land near the area, and leave the ruins as a memorial of the war.